THE GARDEN IN SPRING 



in many ways this is a convenient arrangement ; but of 

 all bulbous plants those which have most attracted the 

 attention of florists and hybridists are undoubtedly the 

 Tulip and the Daffodil. The Daffodil has won the heart 

 of the poet as well as of the florist, and English verse is 

 full of references to the darling Daffodils " (as Marvell 

 called them) and **faire Narcissus." Keats named these 

 graceful flowers as an example of those things of beauty 

 which are joys for ever, and Shelley, whose garden of 

 the Sensitive Plant contained many beautiful flowers, 

 referred to the Narcissus as ''the fairest among them 

 all." 



Perdita's description of Daffodils, 



"That came before the swallow dares, and take 

 The winds of March with beauty," 



is familiar to all who read their Shakespeare. The daf- 

 fodil is indeed an old-fashioned flower, for dry specimens 

 of Narcissus Tazetta have been found in Egyptian 

 mummy cases dating back nearly four thousand years. 

 Mr Burbidge thinks that many species of Narcissus 

 were introduced into England by the Phoenicians when 

 they came to Cornwall for tin, ''and, as Cornwall has 

 a climate and soil eminently suited to daffodils, these 

 have been there perpetuated." Daffodils will grow in 

 almost any garden soil, but in many gardens, especially 

 in very rich soils or in soils which are badly drained, 

 they tend to disappear in the course of one or two 

 seasons. A little shade from the heat of the sun is 

 desirable, as also is a little shelter from cold winds. 

 Stiff loam of moderate richness is suitable for most 

 varieties of daffodil, and the bulbs should be planted 

 by the end of August. After being planted they should 

 in suitable soils be left undisturbed for from two to six 

 years ; and when lifted they should be placed to ripen 

 in a shady place, and replanted in the course of a month. 

 The bulbs should be planted from four to six inches 



